Scrap prices change every day because the metals behind them trade every day. Copper, aluminum, lead and zinc are priced continuously on the LME and COMEX, steel mills reset buying prices monthly, and export benchmarks such as the Turkish import price move with demand and freight. Yards pass large moves through within a day or two and small drift over weeks.
Scrap Price Today editorial guide, checked against current exchange settlements, recycler grade specifications and mill buying programs. Figures are examples; today’s prices are on the live scrap price board.
Some moves are noise a yard never passes on; some are trends that change a board for months. Telling them apart is the difference between selling on a good day and a bad one.
The exchange moves first
Traders react within minutes to the US dollar, Chinese demand data, interest rate decisions, mine strikes and warehouse stock reports. A strong dollar tends to push metal prices down; strong Chinese factory and construction data tends to push copper and aluminum up.
Those moves reach scrap boards with a lag. Yards do not reprint a board for a half-percent change, so small drift accumulates for a week or more before it shows.
Ferrous has its own calendar
Steel scrap has no exchange, so its rhythm is set by mills and the export market. US mills announce buying prices monthly and the number moves in one step.
The Turkish import price, quoted in US dollars per tonne for cargoes from the United States and Europe, moves daily and pulls ferrous prices in exporting regions within a week. Our Turkey page follows that benchmark; the United States and United Kingdom pages show how it lands at home.
Supply is seasonal
Collection slows in winter and picks up in spring and summer as construction, demolition and clear-outs run harder. Mills face tight supply in late winter and often raise prices early in the year to pull material in, then ease them as flows recover.
Non-ferrous shows a milder version of the same pattern.
Demand, energy and the currency
Car production, construction and appliance manufacturing decide how much new metal the world needs, and a slow year for building means mills melt less scrap. Electricity is the largest cost in an electric arc furnace, so expensive power makes mills less eager.
Exchange rates translate the world price into the local one. A weaker pound, rupee, lira or rand raises scrap prices at home even when the dollar price is flat, which is why sellers in India or South Africa watch the currency as closely as the metal.
Policy and trade
Export bans, import standards and tariffs move prices sharply and sometimes for years. China’s tighter scrap import rules redirected copper and aluminum flows across Asia; export restrictions in Saudi Arabia and South Africa hold domestic prices below world levels.
These changes appear on the price charts as steps rather than wiggles.
The drivers compared
| Exchange prices | Mill buying programs | Currency | Season | Policy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measurement | Daily settlement in USD per tonne or per lb | Published price per ton by grade, usually monthly | Exchange rate to the US dollar | Volume of scrap collected, by month | Export bans, import standards, tariffs |
| Speed of effect on boards | One to two days for big moves, weeks for drift | Same day the program changes | Days | Weeks to months | Immediate, then lasting |
| Metals affected most | Copper, aluminum, lead, zinc | Steel and iron | All, outside the United States | Steel first, non-ferrous less | Depends on the measure |
| Direction hint | Strong dollar down, strong China up | Tight supply up, weak steel demand down | Weak currency up at home | Late winter up, late summer softer | Export bans down, tariffs on finished steel up |
How yards pass moves through
A fall in the exchange is passed on quickly, because the yard holds inventory and every day of delay is a loss. A rise is passed on more slowly, because the yard sells forward at yesterday’s price.
Over a month the two sides catch up, but the timing means a seller who follows the exchange has an edge on the day: sell into strength, and do not rush the morning after a sharp drop.
Reading the chart
The candlestick chart on Scrap Price Today shows the open, high, low and close for each day, and for each hour of the current session, for the eight most traded scrap metals. A run of higher closes with small wicks is a trend yards will follow; a single large candle after weeks of calm is usually news that may reverse.
The weekly and monthly changes under the chart tell you whether today’s move is with the trend or against it.
What tends to stick
- Sticks: a mill program change, a new export restriction, a sustained currency move, a shift in Chinese demand that lasts a quarter.
- Fades: a one-day spike on a strike headline, a squeeze in exchange stocks, a holiday-thinned session.
- Depends: a rate decision; judge it by the following week, not the day.
Key numbers
- Copper, aluminum, lead, zinc and nickel settle daily on the LME; copper also trades on COMEX, and both feed every non-ferrous scrap board.
- Turkey imports roughly 20 million tonnes of ferrous scrap a year, more than any other country, which is why its import price is the world ferrous benchmark (Bureau of International Recycling).
- US mill buying programs for scrap are reset monthly in most regions, so ferrous prices typically move in steps rather than daily drift (published mill programs).
- Electric arc furnace steel, made almost entirely from scrap, is close to 30 percent of world output and rising (World Steel Association).
Questions people ask
Copper went up on the news but my yard did not change its price. Why?
Yards pass rises through more slowly than falls, and they rarely reprint a board for a small move. If the rise holds for a few days the board will follow; a sorted load and a mention of the benchmark usually speeds it up.
Is there a best month to sell steel scrap?
Late winter and early spring are often strongest, when mills raise prices to pull in scarce material. Late summer and the end of the year are often softer, though export demand can override the pattern.
Should I worry about the exchange rate?
Outside the United States, yes. Metals are priced in dollars, so a weaker local currency raises scrap prices at home even when the dollar price is flat. Watch the currency on the country page for your market.
Common mistakes
- Selling the morning after a sharp fall instead of waiting a few days.
- Treating a single headline spike as a new price level.
- Ignoring the monthly mill reset when selling steel.
- Watching only the dollar price when the local currency is doing the work.
- Expecting a yard to reprint its board for a half-percent move.
Related guides
- How Scrap Metal Prices Are Determined: From LME and COMEX benchmarks to the number a yard writes on its board.
- How to Get the Best Scrap Price: Sorting, stripping, weighing and comparing quotes: the steps that raise a payout.
- Scrap Metal Recycling Guide: How collected scrap becomes new metal, and why recycled supply matters to prices.
Check today’s numbers before you sell: the scrap price board, the price charts, the scrap value calculator and local rates on our scrap prices by country pages.
Frequently asked questions
Copper went up on the news but my yard did not change its price. Why?
Yards pass rises through more slowly than falls, and they rarely reprint a board for a small move. If the rise holds for a few days the board will follow; a sorted load and a mention of the benchmark usually speeds it up.
Is there a best month to sell steel scrap?
Late winter and early spring are often strongest, when mills raise prices to pull in scarce material. Late summer and the end of the year are often softer, though export demand can override the pattern.
Should I worry about the exchange rate?
Outside the United States, yes. Metals are priced in dollars, so a weaker local currency raises scrap prices at home even when the dollar price is flat. Watch the currency on the country page for your market.